Building the Future of Our Church: Youth and Young Adult Engagement
THE ORTHODOX
MINISTRY FAIR
The Orthodox Ministry Fair seeks to do something that has never been done before in the Orthodox Church. This brochure explains our plans to help transform pan-Orthodox ministries in the United States using the principles of a traditional “venture fair.” The idea is to elevate and accelerate the success of promising, scalable enterprises throughout the Orthodox Christian community to maximize and optimize their impact and help insure their success.
Next year’s inaugural Ministry Fair will bring vetted Youth and Young Adult ministries into a pitch competition in front of philanthropic donors and/or foundations (Investors) committed to cementing and growing Orthodox Christian young people’s participation and fulfillment within the Church. The winning participants will receive transformational funding to fulfill their budgeted goals. Each ministry must be a 501c3 (or a ministry of a 501c3) and have a pan-Orthodox impact (i.e., non-jurisdictional exclusive projects).
The Ministry Fair is co-sponsored and -funded by Orthodox Venture Philanthropy (OVP) and the Virginia H. Farah Foundation (Farah). It follows the historical Farah model, matching vision and capacity and providing accountability and data-driven metrics to ensure best use of and accountability for funding. Orthodox Ministry Services (OMS), OVP’s sister organization, will serve the key role of advisor and coach for the organizations chosen to participate in the Ministry Fair.
ORTHODOX VENTURE PHILANTHROPY
Orthodox Venture Philanthropy was established in 2018 to transform Orthodox Christian philanthropy by building strong and accountable Orthodox Christian Organizations. OVP operates a budding philanthropic venture fund that brings the methodologies of private equity investing to select Orthodox Christian organizations through ongoing and measured financial support linked to the achievement of clear milestones and demonstrable metrics. OVP partners with and invests in the growth and development of high-impact, financially sustainable Orthodox Christian organizations in the United States.
ORTHODOX MINISTRY SERVICES
OMS builds excellence in Orthodox Christian Church organizations, parishes, and ministries through professional support services and mentoring previously non-existent in the Orthodox Church—the change agent driving accountable success by facilitating distinctive, lasting, and substantial improvements in Church-related organizations via an experienced, performance-oriented, data-driven team. orthodoxministry.org
THEME
BUILDING THE FUTURE OF OUR CHURCH: YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT ENGAGEMENT
This inaugural Ministry Fair will focus on youth and young adult ministries.
WHEN
The Orthodox Christian Ministry Fair will be held as follows:
MAY 4-5, 2025
(Sunday evening arrival, Monday event,
Tuesday departure)
WHERE
SCOTTSDALE, AZ
Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas
6333 North Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, AZ
PREPARATION
Orthodox Ministry Services will supervise the preparation of the Ministry Fair.
-
OMS will invite 7-10 Church-related organizations specializing in ministry to youth and young adults to submit project proposals through a Request for Proposal process (RFP) which will define the event for them and set expectations and goals. Each organization will submit an RFP response which OMS will screen and filter to produce a list of five, high-quality proposals. This screening and filtering will ensure that presenting ministries have the capacity and structural organization to deploy the grant effectively and meet their goals.
-
In the months leading up to the Ministry Fair, OMS will assist these five ministries in refining their proposals and project budgets and preparing TED talk-style presentations (7-10 minutes long) focusing on high-upside, aspirational objectives.
-
OMS will operate all aspects of the Ministry Fair, including logistics, communications, hospitality, and follow-up.
INVESTORS
-
OMS expects 20+ invited Investors to attend the inaugural Ministry Fair and will provide these Investors with an OMS due diligence packet on each of the ministries well in advance of the Ministry Fair.
-
OMS will ask each Investor to commit to a $25K minimum donation amount in advance, to be held by OVP pending investment decisions and funding awards. www.orthodoxventurephilanthropy.com Investors will not be limited to the amount of their minimum commitment during the course of the Ministry Fair.
-
During the Ministry Fair, Investors will have the opportunity to ask questions of the ministries after their presentations and to interact with each other and the presenters throughout the day.
-
Following the judging and funding, OMS will be responsible to report back to Investors on a scheduled basis and serve as the interface between Investors and the selected ministries.
JUDGING & FUNDING
-
Investors in attendance will comprise the judging committee, facilitated by OMS. Investor ratings (weighted by investment amount), would feed into an objective OMS matrix used to determine ranking.
-
OMS expects the Ministry Fair to satisfy the full funding needs of the highest-scoring participant—a transformational amount which would be disbursed in tranches over a set period and only upon the organization achieving established benchmarks, all as outlined in the budget.
-
Additional awards will be made to other participants based upon Investor determination of the organizational capacity for implementation and availability of funding.
-
OMS will act as ongoing consultants to the organizations receiving awards, monitoring and measuring the effectiveness of the award, providing relevant advice, and certifying the achievement (or not) of the relevant benchmarks related to dispensing of new funding tranches. The cost of services expected to be rendered by OMS in support of the ministries’ growth will be included as line items in each ministry’s presented budget.
-
Major ($100K +) Investors will be invited to take part in OMS’s review, accountability, and funding release processes.
SCHEDULE
EVENING BEFORE
DAY OF FAIR
9:00 - 10:00 AM
10:00 - 10:15 AM
10:15 AM - 12:00 PM
12:00 - 1:00 PM
1:00 - 2:15 PM
2:15 - 2:30 PM
2:35 - 3:30 PM
3:30 - 3:45 PM
5:00 - 7:00 PM
Arrival and Reception (Mixer) of Investors with one another and the OVP and OMS teams
Registration (with coffee and pastries) and Showroom of Ministries/Organizations (five from Pitch presenters and additional 10 – 15 other ministries from the Church ecosystem)
Opening and Keynote Address by Eric Namee, Chairman of OVP/OMS
Pitch by first three Ministries/Organizations followed by Q&A and deep dive with Presenters (30 minutes each mediated by OMS)
Lunch
Pitch by last two Ministries/Organizations (10 – 12 minutes), followed by Q&A and deep dive with Presenters (30 minutes each mediated by OMS)
Break
Judging and Announcement of winners and awards
Closing remarks
Cocktail reception for all attendees, followed by dinner for Investors and the five presenting organizations
READY TO INVEST?
Please contact Nick Chakos with any questions about the Orthodox Ministry Fair at nchakos@orthodoxministry.org